In the field of magnetic recording on removable flexible disks mounted in cartridges, it would be desirable to be able to position the disk so as to permit simultaneous access to both recording surfaces of the disk by magnetic transducers for magnetically cooperating with the disk record surfaces. Heretofore, even though dual-sided flexible recording disks mounted in cartridges were known in the art, there was no practical way to insert such cartridges into a disk drive to permit simultaneous access to both of the disk recording surfaces. Instead, it was necessary to insert the cartridge into the drive for recording or reproducing on one side, then remove the cartridge and reverse it for re-insertion in the drive to obtain access to the other recording surface. This situation was caused by the fact that there had been no practicl way to load two transducers against both surfaces of the disk in an insertable type cartridge.
In the prior diskette art, there are flexible disk drives which provide access to both sides of the disk, with the magnetic transducers operating in contact with the disk surfaces. However, this "contact" mode of operation is totally different from, and inapplicable to, flexible disks in a cartridge where the disk and transducer operate in a Bernoulli and air-bearing mode without contact between disk and transducer.